Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (03:32):
Good morning, Please join me in the call to worship.
Every day, priests in Jesus Day made offerings and sacrifices
in a futile attempt to take away sins. But when
Christ Jesus offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins,
(03:52):
he rested at the right hand of God because his
work was done, and the Holy Spirit all so testifyes
to us, saying, this is the covenant that I will
make with them, says the Lord, I will put my
laws in their hearts and write them on their minds. Therefore,
(04:14):
my brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter
the sanctuary by the gift of Christ Jesus, let us
approach worship with a true heart and full assurance of
our common faith, free of the anxieties of life, and
open to the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
School day students sport stat.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
School to.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
School to school, steep secrets.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
To a.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
School groundstep and maturest.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
So the churns.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
Please pray with me, Father God, thank you for a
new day. We come to you with open hearts, hungry
for your word and for your presence. We ask that
you would meet us now in the worship, the preaching,
and the fellowship strengthen us through this service to go
back into the world, alert to the signs of your
(08:06):
kingdom in the presence of Christ in us and among us.
Fill us afresh with your holy spirit as we pray
the prayer you taught your disciples, Our Father Art in heaven, that.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Would be thy name, My Kingdom.
Speaker 6 (08:23):
Come, I will be done on earth as it is
in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and
forgive us art trust passes.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
Let's read, forgive those that trespass against.
Speaker 6 (08:38):
Us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the power, and
the glory. Wherever and ever Amen.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
School away.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
It's not the same.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Time, tasting the same.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Story. See so it's so. It's still sounds.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
Choice story.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
To its.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
So so.
Speaker 6 (11:32):
Race so.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Rage for.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Stett.
Speaker 7 (12:45):
Please pray with me, Dear heavenly Father.
Speaker 8 (12:49):
We come before you today with grateful hearts, acknowledging that
all we have comes from you. You are the ultimate
giver and provider, and we are humbled by your love
and generosity. As we bring our offerings to you, we
pray that you would bless them and use them for
your kingdom and glory.
Speaker 7 (13:08):
May our gifts be used to spread your love and
light to those.
Speaker 8 (13:12):
In need, to support your work and mission in this world,
and to further your purpose in our lives.
Speaker 7 (13:18):
In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen raised.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Since old gonteen t raising clues small and some do.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Do you may be seated. Will you join me in prayer?
Oh God, As we join you in worship today in
this sanctuary, on this crisp fall morning, both outside and
(17:19):
a little bit inside, we are reminded again of the
changing of the seasons, as we have watched the leaves
fall off the trees and begun to see what summer
has been covering up. The paint on our house is
starting to chip and we're going to have to redo it.
(17:44):
The spiders have been busy making their webs, catching their
prey before winter comes, and they're all over our windows,
all over our gutters. The fall season is reminding us
not simply that the cycle of life is changing in nature,
(18:06):
but even the things that we care for in life,
that we think are there forever, we realize maintenance is
already upon us. This is true with all of life.
We build it up and it breaks down the relationships
(18:31):
that we have strengthen and to grow stronger, and then
something happens and they're lost or destroyed, or death takes
one of us. We create institutions to carry on our
(18:53):
legacies education and faith and business, and over the generations
they change shape and purposes. Maybe they get bought out
or repurposed. Oh God, you have given us this wondrous
(19:16):
mortal life. And we build things up and they fall down,
and sometimes the grief of losing those things, those relationships
overwhelm us. We ask of God that you would help
(19:40):
us with how we build up and how we rebuild
when things fall down. Forgive us for trying to hold
off the works of time, of wanting to keep things
the way they are, of keeping our children as cute
(20:02):
and wonderful and as adorable as they are forever, of
wanting to save our own youth, of wanting to keep
the places that we love the way they have been.
Forgive us for wanting to freeze time. But help us
(20:24):
to trust You with the changes that come in life
which must come. Help us to follow you in all
the creativity and rebuilding and restructuring and remaking that must
come from time to time in everyone's life, in every
(20:46):
church in every institution. Give us the courage of God
to follow you where you are going. Help us to
let go of the past and to move forward into
(21:10):
what you are doing. Next to God, we lift up
all the concerns we have in our church, for those
folks who are ill and recovering from surgeries, for those
still grieving the loss of loved ones in the past
weeks and months, For our world, for the ways in
(21:34):
which it is broken and knees your healing peace. We
pray for you to continue your subversive work in this world.
Give us eyes to see your spirit is on the move,
and help us to join your work in Christ. Jesus,
(21:55):
we pray Amen. This morning. Our manuscripture passage comes from
the Gospel of Mark. I'm gonna go ahead and be
reading all the way through thirteenth verse. Electionary passage ends
(22:15):
at verse eight, but I'm gonna go ahead and go
all the way to thirteen, and also want to mention
one other thing to you. We have a misprint in
the order of worship, so our final hymn is going
to be number five twenty six, the Solid Rock, So
I'll try to remember that at the end of the sermon.
But I don't really trust myself at the end of
the sermon, because who knows where my brain is, so
I might or might not remember that. So if you
(22:37):
can mark that now, and hopefully I'll remind you that
the final hymn is going to be five twenty six,
all right. From the Gospel of Mark, the thirteenth chapter,
beginning with verse one. As Jesus came out of the temple,
one of his disciples said to him, look, Teacher, what
large stones and what large buildings? Then Jesus ask him,
(23:03):
do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will
be left here upon another. All will be thrown down.
When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite
the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew ask him privately,
tell us when will this be? And what will be
(23:24):
the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished.
Then Jesus began to say to them, beware that no
one leads you astray. Many will come in my name
to say I am he, and they will lead many astray.
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do
not be alarmed. This must take place, But the end
(23:46):
is still to come. For nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes in
various places. There will be famines. But this is the
beginning of the birth pains. As for yourselves, for they
will hand you over to counsels, where you will be
beaten in synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings
because of me as a testimony to them. And the
(24:08):
good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. When
they bring you to trial and hands you over, do
not worry beforehand what you are to say, but say
whatever is given to you at that time, for it
is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Brothers
will betray brothers to death, a father his child, his children,
(24:32):
rise against parents and have them put to death. And
you will be hated by all because of my name.
But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Here ends the reading of God's Holy Word. May God
bless it for our hearing and understanding. How many of
(24:52):
you have played the game of Jenga. We've played that thing,
so about half of us have played Jinga. So the
rest of you are going to get a demonstration today.
It's a simple game where you begin to stack blocks
and then one player slides a block out and puts
it on top, and you just keep on doing that
(25:13):
until you can't do it anymore because the tower falls.
It becomes more unstable the higher it gets, until finally
somebody is the loser. Well, this morning, we have four volunteers. Caroline, Ben,
Josie and Leo are our volunteers, and they're going to
be giving you a live demonstration during the sermon while
(25:36):
you watch the game being played. I want you to
think about this sermon in reference to the game of Jinga.
Think of them as performance artists. Right. Tell your friends
you had performance artists in worship today. That'll pique their interest.
So you four can go ahead and begin from the
(25:58):
story of Mark. We see Jesus and his disciples in
the capital city, the Holy City, Jerusalem. It is the
week of Passover, the week when Jesus will be killed.
The disciples are enjoying these days in the Holy City.
I mean the disciples were simple fishermen. They were country boys,
(26:19):
and now they're in the big city. They had their
iPhones out snapping pictures. They were doing selfies together, all
enjoying the big city. They were raving over the temple
and other big buildings. Look teacher, at the massive stones
(26:39):
that constructed these big buildings, they said to him. But
Jesus responds with words that must have left the disciples
dumb founded. As for these things, you see, the days
will come when not one stone will be left upon another.
(27:02):
They will all be thrown down. The disciples, we're just
trying to get Jesus to join their group. Selfie and
smile for the picture. And here he is, Debbie Downer
around them. After he says these things, the disciples put
their phones away, they fold up the tourist maps, and
(27:25):
none of them, none of them ask if they can
shock for souvenirs. According to Mark, no one asks Jesus
a question for some time, possibly as long as an hour,
because the next time they talk they're in the Mount
of Olives, which was a good little journey there. And finally,
(27:48):
now one of them says, teacher, when will this be
and what will be the sign this is about to happen.
Part of the fun of playing jinga is building the
blocks higher and higher and higher. Human beings are species
(28:10):
that love to build things, make things. From the first
cave drawings tens of thousands of years ago, to the
brand new World Trade Center that is taller than the
Twin Towers were. We love to create. We love to build,
whether we are building skyscrapers or a piece of art
(28:31):
to hang in our bedroom, or a renovation of the kitchen,
or as many of you are getting ready to do,
begin decorating for the Christmas holiday. We put our heart
and soul into these things and often become very attached
to our work. Right now, our Jinga players are getting
(28:53):
attached to their work. One of them is trying to win,
or maybe I should say one of them is trying
not to lose right in front of everyone. Buddy, No pressure, Josie,
no pressure on this. Part of what it means to
be human is to be attached to material things, because
we are material beings. You have heard me say this
(29:13):
over and over again over the past few months. We
cannot worship God outside of our material bodies, which tire,
get bored, get agitated, get cold. Sometimes we feel God's
presence more powerfully in special places and places that have
(29:37):
meaning to us. Maybe a summer camp, maybe Thanksgiving at
Grandma's house with all the family gathered around. Maybe a
favorite beach where you sit there and watch the sunrise
come up again, as you've done summers in the past.
(29:59):
This is a part of being human. This happens because
we are material beings and physical places matter. We perceive
all things spiritual through physical material things. So when the
disciples were marveling at the temple, they were not being
(30:21):
shallow or superficial about their faith. They were just being
human about their faith. They were not any different than
you and I, who may be marveling in the past
few weeks as we watched the kaleidoscope of colors in
the fall hillsides around us, or when we're listening to
(30:41):
the harmonious sound of music from a choir, or when
we sit in this sanctuary and look around at its beauty,
and for those of us who have been here many
times before, a sense of place, a sacred space for us.
This is why the disciples were marveling at the temple buildings,
(31:05):
because we are human and these physical places matter to us,
these institutions matter to us. Then Jesus says, it's all
coming down. It's coming down, like a jinga tower that's
getting a little bit more wobbly. It's all coming down.
(31:28):
Sooner or later. We know this tower is coming down soon.
We just don't know which one's the last person to
make it come down. This Thanksgiving meal, some of you
have empty chairs at the table, or you may be wondering,
(31:49):
is this the last time this loved one will have
this meal with us. It's all coming down, Jesus says,
he was talking about the Temple, the King's Palace, and
the city of Jerusalem, all of which did come down
in AD seventy Like that perfect timing you all by
(32:12):
the way. AD seventy It all came down just as
Jesus said it would. In part because it all comes down,
everything comes down sooner or later. The disciples naturally wanted
(32:34):
signs of when this will be. They want to know
so that they can avoid the disaster. Jesus, however, gives
them encouragement. Instead. The disciples want warning signs. Jesus gives
them encouragement. You know, we as human beings, we don't
(32:57):
do so well with warning signs. There are all sorts
of warning signs about climate change, for instance, but it
really hasn't got us to change our behavior that much.
Mostly we just fight about it whether it's happening or not.
Who's making money off of it or not. It's like
(33:19):
arguing about the Titanic being unsinkable after it's hit the iceberg.
Or take the amount of chemicals that we are pumping
into our air, leaching into our water, spraying all over
the crops we eat. Did you know that cancer is
(33:39):
rising at significant numbers in young people and male fertility
is increasingly going down. We've got the warning signs. What
are we going to do about those things? Often we
(34:01):
just argue about them. Or let's take a more personal situation.
Our doctor mentions some warning signs about our health, high cholesterol.
Maybe we're told to lose some weight, exercise more, stop smoking,
eat right, But how often do those warning signs cause
(34:22):
a change in behavior? How many times over and over
again do we say I'm going to stop that bad habit,
I'm going to start this new habit before we finally
do it. Maybe this is why Jesus doesn't dwell on
(34:43):
warning signs. He gives the disciples encouragement. Instead, they asked
for signs, he gives them encouragement. Don't be gullible, he says.
He doesn't literally say that, but that's kind of what
he said, right, I'm paraphrasing it, but he tells his
(35:06):
disciples in the days ahead, people will say I'm here,
I'm the second coming of Jesus. He tells his disciples,
don't believe that. Don't jump quickly at somebody else's idea.
Don't be gullible when you are vulnerable, when you're worried
(35:29):
about things, when your world has turned upside down, it
is natural to reach out and grab the first solid
thing you find. Don't be gullible. Don't grab the first thing.
Don't rush into something when you are hurting or worried
or scared. If God really is working in this, be patient,
(35:54):
because God will be patient with you. Be paraphraid. Don't
be terrified. Now he does actually say that in the text.
Don't be terrified when wars break out, earthquakes happen, when
you lose your house, or your job, or your marriage,
when your jinga tower comes down, don't be terrified. This
(36:19):
is the same thing that the angel said to the
shepherds the night Jesus was born. It's also the same
thing the angels said to the first disciples who came
to the empty tomb on Easter morning. Don't be terrified.
(36:40):
Trust in God. When your jinga tower comes down. Don't worry,
Jesus says, I'll give you words to say. Not a
hair on your head will perish. When people turn against you,
when your family turns against you, when the world becomes chaotic,
don't worry. It's as if Jesus is telling you, disciples,
(37:04):
don't Russian too decisions. Don't worry. Trust me. I'll think
of something to say and give it to you. I'll
think of something for you to do and give it
to you. Friends. Everything is temporary. We try to make
(37:25):
it so things will last, but nothing lasts, even dynasties fall.
It all comes to an end. The kids grow up
and they move out of the house, and it changes
your life forever. The career you loved ends with retirement.
(37:47):
The youthful looks and used to look so good are
now frozen in picture frames that a little bit still
look like you. All the Jinga towers are our lives
come crashing down. That's what Jesus is saying in this story.
It all ends. Here's the thing. After the twin towers
(38:16):
came crashing down on nine to eleven, we rebuilt another tower,
and this country rebuilt itself. Life went on during the
Civil war, and after the civil War of this nation's history,
(38:36):
we destroyed things and life still went on. And then
afterwards we recreated this nation. After JFK was assassinated and
Martin Aruther king, and we wondered them tumultuous sixties, what
was happening? Life went on, and each of you probably
(39:03):
can remember a time in your life when you felt
like your world was coming to an end. Death of
a loved one maybe, or loss of a job which
forced you to move to a different city and sell
your house, or lose your house and stay in the
same city. But everyone knew what happened. A terrible decision
you made, had awful consequences that you had to live with.
(39:28):
Maybe all of us have had major times like that
or minor times like that, but you know what, We're
all still here. You've made it to this moment. Those
things may have changed our lives, but they didn't end
(39:48):
our lives. What are the things for historic churches like
Fifth Avenue faces the changing of times and as things
society change and has the congregation changes, and the buildings
age and people age, we struggle with how do we
carry on in the future. So much we want to
(40:11):
keep the Jinga Tower together. But friends, they all come down.
The only way we continue is by rebuilding them in
new ways. I know Fifth Avenue has a lot of
traditions that it loves and cherishes, but they're coming down.
(40:37):
The only way they live on is if we reuse
them to make new things and carry on those traditions,
carry on those values, carry on those principles in new
ways for new generations. Caroline and Leo and Josie and
Ben have used their own creative work here, and he
(41:00):
made the Jinga Tower in a new way. Who knows
what it is? Who looks at that and sees that
light at the top, knows what it is? You're getting
ready for this. It's a manger scene, right, hasn't everybody
seen that? You can see that? Right? There's the star overhead?
Why it is still shining?
Speaker 6 (41:19):
Right?
Speaker 4 (41:19):
Man, it is still shining. Yes, the star is still
shining over the It's a manger scene. Right. Everything can
be recreated. Every life, no matter how much it's been
damaged or hurt, can be recreated, sometimes painfully different, but
(41:43):
nonetheless meaningful and purposeful. Let me tell you a story
happened several years back, and I think this kind of
fits with where Fifth Avenue is and where we are
as a city. Maybe even several years ago when I
was working at Church of North Carolina, back when the
Southern Baptists were really fighting over each other and really ugly,
the church I was serving there in Charlotte was realizing
(42:04):
it was going to have to reimagine itself as a
Baptist congregation in the South, and one of those pieces
was where it sends its teenagers to camp. That was
going to have to change. And one of the senior
high students had really had some meaningful experiences at the
Baptist at the North Carolina Baptist Camp at Castle, which
is on the beach. You know, it's great to be
(42:25):
in the state when you have a beach, it's a
great place to have a summer camp. We returned there
every year, and she always was a highlight of her
young life that she spiritually got something in that place
that reminded her of the first moments when she sensed
of who she was and how she could be a
follower of Jesus, and returning to that place kind of
(42:45):
renewed that in ways that the rest of the year didn't.
And after one of our church meetings. When we decided
that we were going to break off from the Southern
Baptist Convention, she came up to me afterwards, and with
sadness in her she said, I'm never going back to
Caswell again. Am I. Yes, that's probably true, I told her,
(43:15):
at least not with this church. But places are replaceable.
That place was special to you. It connected you to
God in ways that you didn't find elsewhere. But Caswell,
(43:38):
that camp did not connect you to God. Your heart did.
Your spirit did. And your heart and your spirit will
find another special place that will connect you to God.
(43:59):
It may be the same, but it can be just
as powerful, it can be just as meaningful. The next
summer we did take the youth to a different camp,
and at the end she came up to me and said,
(44:20):
it wasn't the same, but it was great. That's trusting
in God with new things. It's not the same, but
it was great. We are material beings and we can
(44:42):
only spiritually connect to God through these material bodies that
we have and the material places that we experience. But
material places and institutions and organizations, they are not the
essence of our connection to God. This building, this church,
this place. All of these things are just the funnel
(45:06):
for God's spirit to us, or if you will, they
are just the cup that holds the spirit of God,
that nurtures us and draws us to God's spirit. Too
often we think of the institutions and the places and
the organizations are the heart and core of sacredness that
we find in God or meaning in our lives. But
(45:27):
they are not. These institutions and places that we feel
are sacred. They're just the cup that holds a sacredness.
And like all cups, we can pour the contents from
one to another. So when your jinga tower falls, you
(45:53):
just build another one, and you build it for a
new moment out of the trade and the values and
the principles of the old one. But it's new, for
the new day, for the new generation. Notice that our
creative group, because I told them, you don't have to
(46:13):
build it the same way, use their own imaginations. They
collaborate together, They figured out a way to do it together.
They even brought in at least one extra piece of material. Thankfully,
bend's power. His battery may be dead now on his
phone in a minute, but lasted this long. When your
(46:34):
jinga tower falls. You pour everything of God's spirit you
have into into recreating whatever has fallen down, whatever institution,
whatever relationship has been broken, whatever it is. God is
already there, So don't be gullible when this stuff happens. Right,
(46:54):
fifth Avenue. We're on this bridge time, right, and this
transition time between permanent pastors. We can't say fifth out
of the way it was under former pastors. Things that
are past are past. But we can create a new
thing out of the blocks that we've had of the past.
(47:16):
So let's not be gullible. Right, Let's not be gullible
for the quick fix, the new idea, the fab that
comes and says I'm he I'm your answer. Let's not
be gullible about that. Let's take our time. God is here,
God is working with us. Let's not be terrified. Right,
(47:37):
Let's trust that God is working in our congregation for
the new days. Let's not worry. Let's seek the spirit
and God will give us the words to say. God
will give us the things to do, and we will
figure out the next phase. Friends, God has given us
(47:58):
this mortual life. Thing is temporary, so give thanks and
be grateful while you can enjoy the things that you're
enjoying because one day they're all coming crashing down. Don't
be gullible, be patient, don't be terrified, trust, don't be worried.
(48:20):
God will provide old endings, provide the catalysts that lead
to new beginnings. And there, over and over again you
have seen this happen there. God can do wondrous things.
(48:44):
May it be so here and in this community, ah Man,
We end our worship service in this bachelors tradition where
we open up our doors of fellowship, and we invite
you to become a part of this congregation. Maybe you've
loved God for some time, but you've never made a
commitment to follow Jesus and would like to be baptized
(49:06):
in this faith. We would love for you to come
and baptize you in this church. Or maybe you already
are a Christian but you're looking for a church home.
We would love for you to become a part of
our church family. Whatever decision you may have. I'm going
to be by the new Jinga Tower and'll we happily
receive you while we stand together and sing him five
twenty six, the Solid Rock. Let's stand together and sing.
Speaker 2 (50:00):
And this so since suppress since Saint.
Speaker 4 (51:53):
It's We'll hope it's been a great way to begin
your day and your week. I do appreciate all of
you who helped make worship happen today, So thanks Tim
and Christy for leading us in worship with a prayer,
and John and Alex and the choir. Thank you all
so much for your leading and worship. And I gotta say,
(52:15):
I mean, how about a performance artist right now? I
heard the Caroline, Caroline heard your grandmother is jealous that
I ask you and not her to play jinga? Is
that true? That is definitely true? All right, Caroline and
Josie and Ben Leeah, thank you all for helping us
illustrate the sermon today. We appreciate your work and your
creativity and your part in our church. So also to
(52:36):
thank I don't know all the people who helped out,
but I want to just say a word of thanks
to all the people who made it possible for us
to host the Elijah on Thursday night. Everybody heard us
that it was a fantastic concert, and I'm so glad
that our church could host it as a gift of
the community and also as an invitation to community about
our congregation. So Thank you, all of you who did
all that. Thank you so much for your work and
(52:58):
making that happen. All right, I think that's all I
gotta say. Somebody wave at me if I have forgotten something,
So remember next week after worship, make sure you come
and say afterwards and help decorate for Advent. We appreciate that.
Let's receive the benediction. Friends, as you go back out
(53:18):
into the world, rejoice in all things, persevere in prayer,
and be not afraid. The Lord is with us. And
as you go, know that God, the creator of the universe,
(53:38):
has already prepared away for you and Jesus the Christ
walks beside of you every step of the way, and
God's love, God's Spirit swirls all around you and is
preparing you for what you face in this week ahead.
So friends, go in peace. Amen.
Speaker 3 (54:00):
S
Good morning, Please join me in the call to worship.
Every day, priests in Jesus Day made offerings and sacrifices
in a futile attempt to take away sins. But when
Christ Jesus offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins,
(03:52):
he rested at the right hand of God because his
work was done, and the Holy Spirit all so testifyes
to us, saying, this is the covenant that I will
make with them, says the Lord, I will put my
laws in their hearts and write them on their minds. Therefore,
(04:14):
my brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter
the sanctuary by the gift of Christ Jesus, let us
approach worship with a true heart and full assurance of
our common faith, free of the anxieties of life, and
open to the Holy Spirit.
Speaker 2 (05:11):
School day students sport stat.
Speaker 3 (05:23):
School to.
Speaker 2 (05:30):
School to school, steep secrets.
Speaker 4 (06:30):
To a.
Speaker 2 (06:34):
School groundstep and maturest.
Speaker 3 (06:57):
So the churns.
Speaker 5 (07:44):
Please pray with me, Father God, thank you for a
new day. We come to you with open hearts, hungry
for your word and for your presence. We ask that
you would meet us now in the worship, the preaching,
and the fellowship strengthen us through this service to go
back into the world, alert to the signs of your
(08:06):
kingdom in the presence of Christ in us and among us.
Fill us afresh with your holy spirit as we pray
the prayer you taught your disciples, Our Father Art in heaven, that.
Speaker 3 (08:20):
Would be thy name, My Kingdom.
Speaker 6 (08:23):
Come, I will be done on earth as it is
in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and
forgive us art trust passes.
Speaker 5 (08:35):
Let's read, forgive those that trespass against.
Speaker 6 (08:38):
Us, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us
from evil. For Thine is the Kingdom, the power, and
the glory. Wherever and ever Amen.
Speaker 3 (09:06):
School away.
Speaker 2 (10:00):
It's not the same.
Speaker 3 (10:03):
Time, tasting the same.
Speaker 2 (10:12):
Story. See so it's so. It's still sounds.
Speaker 4 (10:39):
Choice story.
Speaker 2 (10:42):
To its.
Speaker 4 (11:16):
So so.
Speaker 6 (11:32):
Race so.
Speaker 3 (11:38):
Rage for.
Speaker 2 (11:42):
Stett.
Speaker 7 (12:45):
Please pray with me, Dear heavenly Father.
Speaker 8 (12:49):
We come before you today with grateful hearts, acknowledging that
all we have comes from you. You are the ultimate
giver and provider, and we are humbled by your love
and generosity. As we bring our offerings to you, we
pray that you would bless them and use them for
your kingdom and glory.
Speaker 7 (13:08):
May our gifts be used to spread your love and
light to those.
Speaker 8 (13:12):
In need, to support your work and mission in this world,
and to further your purpose in our lives.
Speaker 7 (13:18):
In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen raised.
Speaker 2 (16:34):
Since old gonteen t raising clues small and some do.
Speaker 4 (16:54):
Do you may be seated. Will you join me in prayer?
Oh God, As we join you in worship today in
this sanctuary, on this crisp fall morning, both outside and
(17:19):
a little bit inside, we are reminded again of the
changing of the seasons, as we have watched the leaves
fall off the trees and begun to see what summer
has been covering up. The paint on our house is
starting to chip and we're going to have to redo it.
(17:44):
The spiders have been busy making their webs, catching their
prey before winter comes, and they're all over our windows,
all over our gutters. The fall season is reminding us
not simply that the cycle of life is changing in nature,
(18:06):
but even the things that we care for in life,
that we think are there forever, we realize maintenance is
already upon us. This is true with all of life.
We build it up and it breaks down the relationships
(18:31):
that we have strengthen and to grow stronger, and then
something happens and they're lost or destroyed, or death takes
one of us. We create institutions to carry on our
(18:53):
legacies education and faith and business, and over the generations
they change shape and purposes. Maybe they get bought out
or repurposed. Oh God, you have given us this wondrous
(19:16):
mortal life. And we build things up and they fall down,
and sometimes the grief of losing those things, those relationships
overwhelm us. We ask of God that you would help
(19:40):
us with how we build up and how we rebuild
when things fall down. Forgive us for trying to hold
off the works of time, of wanting to keep things
the way they are, of keeping our children as cute
(20:02):
and wonderful and as adorable as they are forever, of
wanting to save our own youth, of wanting to keep
the places that we love the way they have been.
Forgive us for wanting to freeze time. But help us
(20:24):
to trust You with the changes that come in life
which must come. Help us to follow you in all
the creativity and rebuilding and restructuring and remaking that must
come from time to time in everyone's life, in every
(20:46):
church in every institution. Give us the courage of God
to follow you where you are going. Help us to
let go of the past and to move forward into
(21:10):
what you are doing. Next to God, we lift up
all the concerns we have in our church, for those
folks who are ill and recovering from surgeries, for those
still grieving the loss of loved ones in the past
weeks and months, For our world, for the ways in
(21:34):
which it is broken and knees your healing peace. We
pray for you to continue your subversive work in this world.
Give us eyes to see your spirit is on the move,
and help us to join your work in Christ. Jesus,
(21:55):
we pray Amen. This morning. Our manuscripture passage comes from
the Gospel of Mark. I'm gonna go ahead and be
reading all the way through thirteenth verse. Electionary passage ends
(22:15):
at verse eight, but I'm gonna go ahead and go
all the way to thirteen, and also want to mention
one other thing to you. We have a misprint in
the order of worship, so our final hymn is going
to be number five twenty six, the Solid Rock, So
I'll try to remember that at the end of the sermon.
But I don't really trust myself at the end of
the sermon, because who knows where my brain is, so
I might or might not remember that. So if you
(22:37):
can mark that now, and hopefully I'll remind you that
the final hymn is going to be five twenty six,
all right. From the Gospel of Mark, the thirteenth chapter,
beginning with verse one. As Jesus came out of the temple,
one of his disciples said to him, look, Teacher, what
large stones and what large buildings? Then Jesus ask him,
(23:03):
do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will
be left here upon another. All will be thrown down.
When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite
the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew ask him privately,
tell us when will this be? And what will be
(23:24):
the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished.
Then Jesus began to say to them, beware that no
one leads you astray. Many will come in my name
to say I am he, and they will lead many astray.
When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do
not be alarmed. This must take place, But the end
(23:46):
is still to come. For nation will rise against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom, and there will be earthquakes in
various places. There will be famines. But this is the
beginning of the birth pains. As for yourselves, for they
will hand you over to counsels, where you will be
beaten in synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings
because of me as a testimony to them. And the
(24:08):
good news must first be proclaimed to all nations. When
they bring you to trial and hands you over, do
not worry beforehand what you are to say, but say
whatever is given to you at that time, for it
is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit. Brothers
will betray brothers to death, a father his child, his children,
(24:32):
rise against parents and have them put to death. And
you will be hated by all because of my name.
But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
Here ends the reading of God's Holy Word. May God
bless it for our hearing and understanding. How many of
(24:52):
you have played the game of Jenga. We've played that thing,
so about half of us have played Jinga. So the
rest of you are going to get a demonstration today.
It's a simple game where you begin to stack blocks
and then one player slides a block out and puts
it on top, and you just keep on doing that
(25:13):
until you can't do it anymore because the tower falls.
It becomes more unstable the higher it gets, until finally
somebody is the loser. Well, this morning, we have four volunteers. Caroline, Ben,
Josie and Leo are our volunteers, and they're going to
be giving you a live demonstration during the sermon while
(25:36):
you watch the game being played. I want you to
think about this sermon in reference to the game of Jinga.
Think of them as performance artists. Right. Tell your friends
you had performance artists in worship today. That'll pique their interest.
So you four can go ahead and begin from the
(25:58):
story of Mark. We see Jesus and his disciples in
the capital city, the Holy City, Jerusalem. It is the
week of Passover, the week when Jesus will be killed.
The disciples are enjoying these days in the Holy City.
I mean the disciples were simple fishermen. They were country boys,
(26:19):
and now they're in the big city. They had their
iPhones out snapping pictures. They were doing selfies together, all
enjoying the big city. They were raving over the temple
and other big buildings. Look teacher, at the massive stones
(26:39):
that constructed these big buildings, they said to him. But
Jesus responds with words that must have left the disciples
dumb founded. As for these things, you see, the days
will come when not one stone will be left upon another.
(27:02):
They will all be thrown down. The disciples, we're just
trying to get Jesus to join their group. Selfie and
smile for the picture. And here he is, Debbie Downer
around them. After he says these things, the disciples put
their phones away, they fold up the tourist maps, and
(27:25):
none of them, none of them ask if they can
shock for souvenirs. According to Mark, no one asks Jesus
a question for some time, possibly as long as an hour,
because the next time they talk they're in the Mount
of Olives, which was a good little journey there. And finally,
(27:48):
now one of them says, teacher, when will this be
and what will be the sign this is about to happen.
Part of the fun of playing jinga is building the
blocks higher and higher and higher. Human beings are species
(28:10):
that love to build things, make things. From the first
cave drawings tens of thousands of years ago, to the
brand new World Trade Center that is taller than the
Twin Towers were. We love to create. We love to build,
whether we are building skyscrapers or a piece of art
(28:31):
to hang in our bedroom, or a renovation of the kitchen,
or as many of you are getting ready to do,
begin decorating for the Christmas holiday. We put our heart
and soul into these things and often become very attached
to our work. Right now, our Jinga players are getting
(28:53):
attached to their work. One of them is trying to win,
or maybe I should say one of them is trying
not to lose right in front of everyone. Buddy, No pressure, Josie,
no pressure on this. Part of what it means to
be human is to be attached to material things, because
we are material beings. You have heard me say this
(29:13):
over and over again over the past few months. We
cannot worship God outside of our material bodies, which tire,
get bored, get agitated, get cold. Sometimes we feel God's
presence more powerfully in special places and places that have
(29:37):
meaning to us. Maybe a summer camp, maybe Thanksgiving at
Grandma's house with all the family gathered around. Maybe a
favorite beach where you sit there and watch the sunrise
come up again, as you've done summers in the past.
(29:59):
This is a part of being human. This happens because
we are material beings and physical places matter. We perceive
all things spiritual through physical material things. So when the
disciples were marveling at the temple, they were not being
(30:21):
shallow or superficial about their faith. They were just being
human about their faith. They were not any different than
you and I, who may be marveling in the past
few weeks as we watched the kaleidoscope of colors in
the fall hillsides around us, or when we're listening to
(30:41):
the harmonious sound of music from a choir, or when
we sit in this sanctuary and look around at its beauty,
and for those of us who have been here many
times before, a sense of place, a sacred space for us.
This is why the disciples were marveling at the temple buildings,
(31:05):
because we are human and these physical places matter to us,
these institutions matter to us. Then Jesus says, it's all
coming down. It's coming down, like a jinga tower that's
getting a little bit more wobbly. It's all coming down.
(31:28):
Sooner or later. We know this tower is coming down soon.
We just don't know which one's the last person to
make it come down. This Thanksgiving meal, some of you
have empty chairs at the table, or you may be wondering,
(31:49):
is this the last time this loved one will have
this meal with us. It's all coming down, Jesus says,
he was talking about the Temple, the King's Palace, and
the city of Jerusalem, all of which did come down
in AD seventy Like that perfect timing you all by
(32:12):
the way. AD seventy It all came down just as
Jesus said it would. In part because it all comes down,
everything comes down sooner or later. The disciples naturally wanted
(32:34):
signs of when this will be. They want to know
so that they can avoid the disaster. Jesus, however, gives
them encouragement. Instead. The disciples want warning signs. Jesus gives
them encouragement. You know, we as human beings, we don't
(32:57):
do so well with warning signs. There are all sorts
of warning signs about climate change, for instance, but it
really hasn't got us to change our behavior that much.
Mostly we just fight about it whether it's happening or not.
Who's making money off of it or not. It's like
(33:19):
arguing about the Titanic being unsinkable after it's hit the iceberg.
Or take the amount of chemicals that we are pumping
into our air, leaching into our water, spraying all over
the crops we eat. Did you know that cancer is
(33:39):
rising at significant numbers in young people and male fertility
is increasingly going down. We've got the warning signs. What
are we going to do about those things? Often we
(34:01):
just argue about them. Or let's take a more personal situation.
Our doctor mentions some warning signs about our health, high cholesterol.
Maybe we're told to lose some weight, exercise more, stop smoking,
eat right, But how often do those warning signs cause
(34:22):
a change in behavior? How many times over and over
again do we say I'm going to stop that bad habit,
I'm going to start this new habit before we finally
do it. Maybe this is why Jesus doesn't dwell on
(34:43):
warning signs. He gives the disciples encouragement. Instead, they asked
for signs, he gives them encouragement. Don't be gullible, he says.
He doesn't literally say that, but that's kind of what
he said, right, I'm paraphrasing it, but he tells his
(35:06):
disciples in the days ahead, people will say I'm here,
I'm the second coming of Jesus. He tells his disciples,
don't believe that. Don't jump quickly at somebody else's idea.
Don't be gullible when you are vulnerable, when you're worried
(35:29):
about things, when your world has turned upside down, it
is natural to reach out and grab the first solid
thing you find. Don't be gullible. Don't grab the first thing.
Don't rush into something when you are hurting or worried
or scared. If God really is working in this, be patient,
(35:54):
because God will be patient with you. Be paraphraid. Don't
be terrified. Now he does actually say that in the text.
Don't be terrified when wars break out, earthquakes happen, when
you lose your house, or your job, or your marriage,
when your jinga tower comes down, don't be terrified. This
(36:19):
is the same thing that the angel said to the
shepherds the night Jesus was born. It's also the same
thing the angels said to the first disciples who came
to the empty tomb on Easter morning. Don't be terrified.
(36:40):
Trust in God. When your jinga tower comes down. Don't worry,
Jesus says, I'll give you words to say. Not a
hair on your head will perish. When people turn against you,
when your family turns against you, when the world becomes chaotic,
don't worry. It's as if Jesus is telling you, disciples,
(37:04):
don't Russian too decisions. Don't worry. Trust me. I'll think
of something to say and give it to you. I'll
think of something for you to do and give it
to you. Friends. Everything is temporary. We try to make
(37:25):
it so things will last, but nothing lasts, even dynasties fall.
It all comes to an end. The kids grow up
and they move out of the house, and it changes
your life forever. The career you loved ends with retirement.
(37:47):
The youthful looks and used to look so good are
now frozen in picture frames that a little bit still
look like you. All the Jinga towers are our lives
come crashing down. That's what Jesus is saying in this story.
It all ends. Here's the thing. After the twin towers
(38:16):
came crashing down on nine to eleven, we rebuilt another tower,
and this country rebuilt itself. Life went on during the
Civil war, and after the civil War of this nation's history,
(38:36):
we destroyed things and life still went on. And then
afterwards we recreated this nation. After JFK was assassinated and
Martin Aruther king, and we wondered them tumultuous sixties, what
was happening? Life went on, and each of you probably
(39:03):
can remember a time in your life when you felt
like your world was coming to an end. Death of
a loved one maybe, or loss of a job which
forced you to move to a different city and sell
your house, or lose your house and stay in the
same city. But everyone knew what happened. A terrible decision
you made, had awful consequences that you had to live with.
(39:28):
Maybe all of us have had major times like that
or minor times like that, but you know what, We're
all still here. You've made it to this moment. Those
things may have changed our lives, but they didn't end
(39:48):
our lives. What are the things for historic churches like
Fifth Avenue faces the changing of times and as things
society change and has the congregation changes, and the buildings
age and people age, we struggle with how do we
carry on in the future. So much we want to
(40:11):
keep the Jinga Tower together. But friends, they all come down.
The only way we continue is by rebuilding them in
new ways. I know Fifth Avenue has a lot of
traditions that it loves and cherishes, but they're coming down.
(40:37):
The only way they live on is if we reuse
them to make new things and carry on those traditions,
carry on those values, carry on those principles in new
ways for new generations. Caroline and Leo and Josie and
Ben have used their own creative work here, and he
(41:00):
made the Jinga Tower in a new way. Who knows
what it is? Who looks at that and sees that
light at the top, knows what it is? You're getting
ready for this. It's a manger scene, right, hasn't everybody
seen that? You can see that? Right? There's the star overhead?
Why it is still shining?
Speaker 6 (41:19):
Right?
Speaker 4 (41:19):
Man, it is still shining. Yes, the star is still
shining over the It's a manger scene. Right. Everything can
be recreated. Every life, no matter how much it's been
damaged or hurt, can be recreated, sometimes painfully different, but
(41:43):
nonetheless meaningful and purposeful. Let me tell you a story
happened several years back, and I think this kind of
fits with where Fifth Avenue is and where we are
as a city. Maybe even several years ago when I
was working at Church of North Carolina, back when the
Southern Baptists were really fighting over each other and really ugly,
the church I was serving there in Charlotte was realizing
(42:04):
it was going to have to reimagine itself as a
Baptist congregation in the South, and one of those pieces
was where it sends its teenagers to camp. That was
going to have to change. And one of the senior
high students had really had some meaningful experiences at the
Baptist at the North Carolina Baptist Camp at Castle, which
is on the beach. You know, it's great to be
(42:25):
in the state when you have a beach, it's a
great place to have a summer camp. We returned there
every year, and she always was a highlight of her
young life that she spiritually got something in that place
that reminded her of the first moments when she sensed
of who she was and how she could be a
follower of Jesus, and returning to that place kind of
(42:45):
renewed that in ways that the rest of the year didn't.
And after one of our church meetings. When we decided
that we were going to break off from the Southern
Baptist Convention, she came up to me afterwards, and with
sadness in her she said, I'm never going back to
Caswell again. Am I. Yes, that's probably true, I told her,
(43:15):
at least not with this church. But places are replaceable.
That place was special to you. It connected you to
God in ways that you didn't find elsewhere. But Caswell,
(43:38):
that camp did not connect you to God. Your heart did.
Your spirit did. And your heart and your spirit will
find another special place that will connect you to God.
(43:59):
It may be the same, but it can be just
as powerful, it can be just as meaningful. The next
summer we did take the youth to a different camp,
and at the end she came up to me and said,
(44:20):
it wasn't the same, but it was great. That's trusting
in God with new things. It's not the same, but
it was great. We are material beings and we can
(44:42):
only spiritually connect to God through these material bodies that
we have and the material places that we experience. But
material places and institutions and organizations, they are not the
essence of our connection to God. This building, this church,
this place. All of these things are just the funnel
(45:06):
for God's spirit to us, or if you will, they
are just the cup that holds the spirit of God,
that nurtures us and draws us to God's spirit. Too
often we think of the institutions and the places and
the organizations are the heart and core of sacredness that
we find in God or meaning in our lives. But
(45:27):
they are not. These institutions and places that we feel
are sacred. They're just the cup that holds a sacredness.
And like all cups, we can pour the contents from
one to another. So when your jinga tower falls, you
(45:53):
just build another one, and you build it for a
new moment out of the trade and the values and
the principles of the old one. But it's new, for
the new day, for the new generation. Notice that our
creative group, because I told them, you don't have to
(46:13):
build it the same way, use their own imaginations. They
collaborate together, They figured out a way to do it together.
They even brought in at least one extra piece of material. Thankfully,
bend's power. His battery may be dead now on his
phone in a minute, but lasted this long. When your
(46:34):
jinga tower falls. You pour everything of God's spirit you
have into into recreating whatever has fallen down, whatever institution,
whatever relationship has been broken, whatever it is. God is
already there, So don't be gullible when this stuff happens. Right,
(46:54):
fifth Avenue. We're on this bridge time, right, and this
transition time between permanent pastors. We can't say fifth out
of the way it was under former pastors. Things that
are past are past. But we can create a new
thing out of the blocks that we've had of the past.
(47:16):
So let's not be gullible. Right, Let's not be gullible
for the quick fix, the new idea, the fab that
comes and says I'm he I'm your answer. Let's not
be gullible about that. Let's take our time. God is here,
God is working with us. Let's not be terrified. Right,
(47:37):
Let's trust that God is working in our congregation for
the new days. Let's not worry. Let's seek the spirit
and God will give us the words to say. God
will give us the things to do, and we will
figure out the next phase. Friends, God has given us
(47:58):
this mortual life. Thing is temporary, so give thanks and
be grateful while you can enjoy the things that you're
enjoying because one day they're all coming crashing down. Don't
be gullible, be patient, don't be terrified, trust, don't be worried.
(48:20):
God will provide old endings, provide the catalysts that lead
to new beginnings. And there, over and over again you
have seen this happen there. God can do wondrous things.
(48:44):
May it be so here and in this community, ah Man,
We end our worship service in this bachelors tradition where
we open up our doors of fellowship, and we invite
you to become a part of this congregation. Maybe you've
loved God for some time, but you've never made a
commitment to follow Jesus and would like to be baptized
(49:06):
in this faith. We would love for you to come
and baptize you in this church. Or maybe you already
are a Christian but you're looking for a church home.
We would love for you to become a part of
our church family. Whatever decision you may have. I'm going
to be by the new Jinga Tower and'll we happily
receive you while we stand together and sing him five
twenty six, the Solid Rock. Let's stand together and sing.
Speaker 2 (50:00):
And this so since suppress since Saint.
Speaker 4 (51:53):
It's We'll hope it's been a great way to begin
your day and your week. I do appreciate all of
you who helped make worship happen today, So thanks Tim
and Christy for leading us in worship with a prayer,
and John and Alex and the choir. Thank you all
so much for your leading and worship. And I gotta say,
(52:15):
I mean, how about a performance artist right now? I
heard the Caroline, Caroline heard your grandmother is jealous that
I ask you and not her to play jinga? Is
that true? That is definitely true? All right, Caroline and
Josie and Ben Leeah, thank you all for helping us
illustrate the sermon today. We appreciate your work and your
creativity and your part in our church. So also to
(52:36):
thank I don't know all the people who helped out,
but I want to just say a word of thanks
to all the people who made it possible for us
to host the Elijah on Thursday night. Everybody heard us
that it was a fantastic concert, and I'm so glad
that our church could host it as a gift of
the community and also as an invitation to community about
our congregation. So Thank you, all of you who did
all that. Thank you so much for your work and
(52:58):
making that happen. All right, I think that's all I
gotta say. Somebody wave at me if I have forgotten something,
So remember next week after worship, make sure you come
and say afterwards and help decorate for Advent. We appreciate that.
Let's receive the benediction. Friends, as you go back out
(53:18):
into the world, rejoice in all things, persevere in prayer,
and be not afraid. The Lord is with us. And
as you go, know that God, the creator of the universe,
(53:38):
has already prepared away for you and Jesus the Christ
walks beside of you every step of the way, and
God's love, God's Spirit swirls all around you and is
preparing you for what you face in this week ahead.
So friends, go in peace. Amen.
Speaker 3 (54:00):
S
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.